The Securities and Exchange Commission charged two men in New York with fraud on Friday for running an $81 million Ponzi scheme that promised to make money reselling tickets to the sold-out Broadway musical.

The Ponzi masterminds, Joseph Meli and Matthew Harriton, allegedly promised 125 investors that they would make at least a 10 percent profit from a scheme to buy and resell tickets to Hamilton and other in-demand shows, including an Adele concert.

Instead, Meli and Harriton spent up to $2 million on jewelry, private school and camp tuition and gambling. Plus, they had to use at least $48 million to keep the Ponzi scheme going and pay off earlier investors.

The Ponzi schemers even said they had an agreement with a Hamilton producer to buy 35,000 tickets to the show. Investors were told they would get their money back within eight months.

This Hamilton / Adele ticket ponzi scheme that busted by the SEC is crazy. That works at to be over $600k per investor. pic.twitter.com/8u4EQLVApP

“As alleged in our complaint, Meli and Harriton raised millions from investors by promising big profits from reselling tickets to A-list events when in reality they were moving investor money in a circle and creating a mirage of profitability,” Paul G. Levenson, director of the SEC’s Boston office, said in a statement.

Investors were also promised they'd get 50 percent of any profits that were left over after everyone involved was repaid.

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